Automatic-playing piano.



- PATENTED DBC. 24, 1907.

:salma-sum z.

A. @.GULBRANSEN.

AUTOMATIG PLAYING PIANO.

APPLICATIQN FILED A-UG. 20.1906.

HE :l f z W @nm/ffm @bww MMM! A'XELGIGULBRANSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

"'A'ro'MA'rIc-YLAYING Piano.

To all whom 'it may concern'. -f

Be it known that I, AXEL G. GLBRANSEN, a citizen of the United States, residing lat Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement iii Autoii'iatic-Playing Pianos,

of which the following is'a full, clear, concise,

and exa`ct-descriptioii, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification. My invention relates to mechanical musical instruments and has for its particular object improved construction and arrangement of the' rir'nary pneumatic mechanisms therefor.

h y invention is particularly adaptable where the pneumatic playing attachments are placed inside the instrument'casing, and

tlie pneumatic mechanisms of my construction are so compact that the original piano 4or other instrument casing aiords sufiicient space, and it is, therefore, unnecessary to enlarge lthe casing. In mechanisms of this kind the practice has been to provide only one bellows which was connected with the 'hammer actuating mechanism in vsome manner, and it was necessary to make the single bellows comparatively long in order that they furnish the necessary strength '-to givesuitable action.

qvidual .means These long bellows, however, take up valuable space and One of the'features of my' invention lies in dividing the single bellows into a plurality of bellows, arranged lone above the other and connected in parallel.l Upon connection of the bellows with the low pressure chamber, the parallel bellows are'simultaneously and immediately actuated, and they respond im-I mediately to roduce the necessary action ofthe associate( striking. hammer. The reason for this seems to be that the bellows when arranged in this parallel manner are brought closer to the low pressure chamber and the airis more quickly withdrawn therefrom than if the bellows were arranged serially to form one long bellows.

Another feature of'my invention resides in the improved adjustable abutinents which are connected with the abstract rods which 'abutments are engaged bythe parallel bellows. The adjustable means on theseabutments extend above beyondl the pneumatic mechanisms and can be very-readilymanipulated without in any way disturbing. the pneumatic mechanism" I also employ indi- ;Sp'ecication of Letters Patent. Applicatin led August 20, 1906. Serial No. 331,230.

l drawings which accom any this specifica Fig. v3 is a rear view of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is ase tionalI view taken on line 4-4 ofFig. 2; E1

ber. exhaust bellows in any manner, which exhaust bellows connect with feeder, bellows, suitably arranged to be operated b v pedal besides are'not Vsufliciently quickl `mechanism in anyvwell known manner.

to respond..

rod pivots on a pin 18,

for` suspending theV primaryj-A Patented Dec. 24,1907',4

valve, and all the-se various improvein will be better understood by referring to 'In these drawings, ligure 1 is an eind View of the pneumatic mechai'iismoutfit, arrange within a piano casing; Fig. l is a top view-.of

a section Lof the pneumatic mechanism outiil 5 is a to view of Fig. 4 with the valve block remove Fig. 6 is an enlarged front view@ showing one ofthe adjustable abutment rods if and the method of its adjustment on the ab stract rod; Fig. 7 is'a sectional view taken 'on line 7--7` of Fig-6. Q

Thelow pressure chamber (a) is rectangular and extends lengthwise along the froifit-g-of the piano to the rear of the fallboard (Il) of' the piano structure, and this lchamber is formed'by the rear wall 3, a top wall 4, a lower wall 5 and the front wall orcover 6, this cover being hinged at' its lower end as shown, and provided with locking means 7 at the top, such as a hook, whereby upon removal of the fall board, the cover may beopenedy to reveal the interior ofthe air chain,

The air chamber (a) is connected withl The construction, and` suspension of each neumatiic mechanism is'illustra'ted in Figi.

ach 'mechanism comprises abody wall or mounting 4block v8, below: which are situated two ormorejbellows 9.1, 92, and soon. `The movable 'part 10 fof., the i bellys, ,.91 islhinged at its front end. to the underside-.of block 8;.

The top wall 11 ofthe bellows 92.1,'.sls'ecured at its rear end to the rear endet block .8,f-and its movable wall.12is hinged with'thereai end of the top wall 11. arranged one above the other, the movable wall 10'v of. the upper bellows having abiturcated extension 13 while the movableivall 12 of the lowermost bellows has an extensie i V1-1 vhaving a .bearing opening 15. A#1',coniiec ing `rod 16 pivots atlits upper -end yon a pin 17 abutment'Z0/secured toa corresponding abnnerwhich will be presstractl rodnin va ma l )ji These bellows are secured to the top of block 8 over the chamthe chamber 22. a cylindrical valve 2 7, through which exte'nds a vertical valve stem 27 which may be of wood .or a wood screw as shown. The

. y. distance above the pad 24. on thel iaphragm I through the lowerwall of:L the chamber i f' and 1 communicatingwith chamber 3? a leather plate`v29, having a central opening Secured to the-*top of thevalve 27 is a thin- "chamber 26 communicates with the interior of the upper bellows `91 through a passage- 8.1'8 arrange .ently described. I The -14 whereupon i In the front end of the block 8 is a cylin- Ader 22 about the edge of'which is glued the the passageway phragm divides the chamber 21 into an upber but may very readily and without openings in the tracker board. therefore, both t-he upper and lower diaphragm Achambers are :connected i with .the low pressure supply chamber, and

the diaphragm'will, therefore, be .in its lower through the connecting rods to the extension position and the'valve 27 which is subjected the engaged 'abutment is 1 to atmospheric pressure is forced down to raised and the connecting abstract rod actui close the opening 28. -As the music sheet ated tov cause Voperation of the associated i passes over the tracker board, the passagehammer mechanlsm. l .ways 4() are connected -witli atmosphere.` This atmospheric air immediately' rushes into the lower diaphragm chamber through 37, andthe diaphragm is valve diaphr vm 23 and supporting at its :thrown upwardly, the pad 24 striking the center a smal disk or pad 24. This dialower end ofthe valve stein 27, and the valve 27 is forced upwardly to expose the opening 28 and to close the outlet 30' to atmosphere. The bellows are, therefore, in communication -with the upper 'diaphragm chamber which is connected with the low pressure reservoir, land these bellows are immediately and simultaneously collapsed to raise the engaged abstract rod. The pin hole opening 39 being Very small, practicall force of atmospheric air is lexpen ed in throwing up the diaphragm. When' the passagelway 40 is again closed to atmos here, thepressure in the upper and lower iaphragm chambers will be reduced and equalized. Ars these bellows are arranged'in parallel as described-and situated close to the low pressure reservoir, the air can be quickly withdrawn therefrom, and collapse thereof is almost instantaneous, thus insuring quick responseand-action.

`The diaphragm an'd valve stem, as has been already stated, are normally out of engagement, and this allows ex ansion, contraction or other distortion of tiie diaphragm without destroying the adjustment, but when the corresponding..passageway 40 con-l nects with atmosphere and the diaphragm is suddenly thrown up, the valve stem willbe struck and the valve actuated. This striking connection between the diaphragm and stem insures quicker and stronger action of the valve, as the diaphragm may gain suitable momentum before striking the stem.

It is very desirable 4that the abutments 20 be adjustable without its being necessary to in any way disturb the pneumatic mechanisms. Each abutment 20, therefore, is secured'to the lower end of an adjusting rod 41,'having upper and lower slots 42 and 43, through which pass screws 44 and 45. These screws engage the abstract rods, and the lowerscrews are drawn in just suiliciently to hold the abutment rod against the abstract and to guide it upon vertical movement thereof. The upper screws are all in the same horizontal, line which is -above the pneumatic mechanism outfit, and to adiust the various abutments the fall board of the piano is removed, and by means of a screw driver or other instrument, the upper screws weights of the lower I one `of thel walls of the bellows are sufficient to normally Normally,

distend the bellows, andfupon colla se of the. bellows when the airis withdrawn t ierefrom,

,their L force is .collected and transmitted drical chamber 21 having `an annular shoulper section 21 and a lower section 211, and

ber 21 is a valve-block 25, having a cylindrical chamber or opening 26 concentric with 'Nithin tl'iisichamber 26 is 'lower end of this stem is' normallly a slight 23. This valve normallylcloses opening 28 .26 2119i Ov'er, the mouth -of the chamber 26 is glued 30 which communicates with atmosphere.v

disk 31 of leather, having radial extensions or stra S32 which at'v their ends are glued over t e edges aboutl the chamber 26 as shown in vFi 4 and 4Fi 2. The valve is thus confine and guide within this charpleast resistance be moved up or down. The

way 83, while` this chamberr communicates with the interior of the lower bellows 92 through a passageway 34. v l

Figs.- 2 and I3 show the compact arrangement of the pneumatic mechanisms which d in three rows as shown, each row being offset so that the planes of the projections 14 are equally spaced and in accordance with the abstract npds to be engaged thereby. Each neun atic mechanism is secured at its fr nt lend to the .rear wall 3 of the air chamber by means of screws 35 asbest shown in Fig. 4. The chamber 21 connects with the low pressure chamber (a) through a comparatively large passage- .way 36, while the c amber 211.connects with the chamber (a) through va smaller passageway 37. This connection of the lower chamber 211 with thej low'pressure chamber (a) is further gaged by a washer or disk 38, having the pin hole opening or perforation The passageway37 also commumcates with the passageway'40which 1s connected with the entire may be loosened and the abutment rodsl raised or lowered to proper adjustment,

" whereupon the screws are again tightened.

The front .wall 6 of the low pressure reservoir or chamber mayalso be swung downwardly on account of its lhinged connection.` to givev access to the'screws 35 ,supportin'gthe pneu?v "merely withdrawingA the screws whic matic mechanisms and the'was'hers 38. B

normally.v hold r the pneumatic mechanism inplace, Ithis 'pneumatic -mechanism may be removed, and being a unitary structure, there will be'abs'olutely no` displacement or i disarrangement of the parts thereof and out the -necessity ofdoing this ina confined By means ofthe variousjeaturesof my in vention, a very compact and a ve effective vpneumatic mechanism is provide which is lvery simple of construction and whose operation'and response is extremely efficient.

.in the construction, and arrangement ofthe .I realize that changes may readily be made parts which would -stillbe within the claims which are hereto appended and which I ,de-

sire to secure by Letters Patent.

1. In an'V automatic` playing' instrument,- the combination' with la stract rods, of automatic p aying mechamsm,

iano having abaplurality 'of pneumatic action mechanisms for the automatic playing mecha in the 'form1of'units', each unit comprising a plurality of bellows arranged in a tier, a common mountin block from which the bellows are supporte and primary valvemechanism in theblock for simultaneously controlling they bellows to cause cumulatlve opera tion thereof, the movable {parts of each setvof 4bellows being connected withy one ofthe piano abstract rods. v

2. In pneumatic action mechanism I for mechanically operated pianos, the combination with a common mounting block, of 'a plurality of bellows supported below the mounting block, .a common primar valve mechanism for the bellows arrange in the mounting block, said moun'ting4 block, bellows and valve mechanism comprising an individual' unitary structure, rthe movable members of the bellows being connected to? n gether and adapted for connection with key operating mechanism of the piano.

3. In an automatic playing. piano the combinati'on with the abstract lrods and the hammer actuating mechanism of theI piano, of a plurality of individual action mechanism units one for each of the abstract rods, la plurality of bellows for 'each unit havlng. their movable members connected together and adapted for connection with thecorres onding abstract rod, a common mountin b ook from which the bellows are rilfupportedg,y

a common' primary val've mechanism ar'- ranged in' the mounting block and connected through `suitable channels with the bellows, and a flat rectangular'wind chest extending 'across'. the lpiano in front ofthe ends of the abstract rods, said 'pneumatic action units being removably supported from the rear wall ov the wmd chest, said bellows acting cumulatively and their combined 'force upon operation causing movement of the abstract rod and the, hammer mechanism connected therewith.- g

4. A pneumatic action mechanism unit for mechanicallyoperated pianos comprising acommonmountingblock 8,- a plurality of bellows arranged in a vertical tier-below said mounting block andsupportedtherefrom, i

5. In -an automatic playing instrument comprising an upright piano and automatic playing mechanism, ,the combination with vertical, abstract rods for the piano, of a wind chest for the automatic playing mechanism extending along the interior of the piano in front ofthe lower ends of the abstract rods,I a lurality ot pneumatic action mechanisms or the automatic playing mechanism in the Jorm of units, each unit comprising a plurality of bellows larranged in atier, a'common lmounting block for each unit from which the-bellows are supported, a

rimary valve mechanism in each mounting block for simultaneously controlling the bel. lows to cause cumulative operation thereof, said units being sup orted 1n rows from the rear wall of the win chest, and the movable parts of each'set of bellows being connected Vwith one of the abstract rods. y 6. In' a mechanically-operated piano, the combination with the iano 4action having vertical abstract rods, oi)a plurality of pneumatic action'mechanisins supported in vertical and horizontal rows directly in front of the lower'ends of the abstract rods, an attachment for each abstract rod having connection with one of the pneumatic action mechanisms so that actuation of the pneumatic action mechanism will be transmitted through the attachment to the correspond- 'ing abstract rod, means'for guiding the lower end-v of each attachment, and adjustable means for guiding and securing the upper end of each attachment to the abstract rod, said attachments being adapted for vertical movement wherebyl their position with re-v spet-to the, pneumatic action` mechanisms may be .adjust ed,..the upper guidingl and se curing means being all dis osed'in a line which is -above and clear o the pneumatic action mechanism whereby 'each attachment may be vertically adjusted and secured to thev abstract rod after adjustment without disturbing or moving the pneumatic action mechanisms. y

7. Ina mechanically-operated piano, the combination with the piano actionhaving abstract rods7 of a pneumatic action mechanism'associated witheach abstract rod, said pneumatic action mechanisms being disposed in vertical and horizontal rows di-4 rectly in front of the lower end-of thevabstract rods, an abutment plate-for each abstract rod having connection at its lower endA with the corresponding pneumatic action mechanism, an elongated slot through the lower' end of each abutment late, a screw engaging through said slot and with the abstract rod to conne the plate to the abstractv ed for vertical'l movement when the up r screw is suiciently'loose andthe plate being secured @to theabstract rod when the upper screw is drawntight, the upper screws being all yin aline above -the pneumatic action' mechanisms so thatadjustment 'of each abutment plate. withreference to its associated pneumatic action mechanism ma be accomplished without moving 'or distur ing anf'of the primary action mechanisms.

' n witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 18th day of August,A. D. 1906.

f AXELI G. GULBRANSEN,

Witnesses:

CHARLES J 7 SCHMIDT, ARTHUR H. Bon'rrenna. 

